A young woman just months away from graduating college was mauled to death by three dogs while pet sitting in Texas, according to her family.
On Saturday, Nov. 22, Jennifer Hubbell created a GoFundMe page to share the news of her daughter’s death and to remember her life. She identified her daughter as 23-year-old Madison Riley Hull.
“I am shattered in a way I didn’t know a human being could break. My beautiful, full of love, full of life, free-spirited daughter was killed in a sudden and vicious dog attack,” Hubbell wrote.
The dogs involved in the attack were pit bulls, the Tyler Morning Telegraph, WFAA-8 and WTOC-11 reported, citing the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred at a home in Tyler, Texas, around 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, officials said.
Hull was about six months away from earning her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Texas at Tyler, her mother said. According to Hubbell, her daughter had already discovered “her true purpose in teaching young children” and had K–3rd grade students who “adored her.”
Hubbell described her daughter as someone whose presence brightened every room. “Madi was love, she was light, she was kindness, she was laughter, she was fierce in the most beautiful and disarming way. She loved life with her whole heart and moved through the world with a free-spirit that lifted those around her,” she wrote.
Deputies were dispatched to the Tyler home and found Hull lying in the backyard. When one of the responding officers tried to help her, one of the pit bulls charged at him, WTOC-11 reported.
The deputy then shot and killed one of the dogs. The gunfire frightened the two remaining dogs, allowing the officer to move Hull out of the backyard, but she died shortly afterward, according to the outlet.
The deputy who fired at the dog sustained minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital, the sheriff’s department said, per WFAA.
Judge Andy Dunklin is expected to give an update on the case during a court hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
As of Tuesday, Nov. 25, the GoFundMe organized by Hull’s mother had raised more than $13,000. Hubbell thanked supporters for their donations and said the money will go toward her daughter’s funeral and memorial expenses, helping to give Madison “the beautiful farewell her bright spirit deserves.”
